RNA fidelity, cheating and why I still believe in Science

This is an essay that I submitted to NPR for their “This I believe” essay submissions. It was not selected for airing. It may be of interest to people who want to know a little about what science I did (RNA fidelity) and how I perceived it as a metaphor.

I believe in science

Using hypothesis, experimentation and theory, science advances human knowledge. In this essay, I present a personal meaning of the word “science.”

I was a biology research scientist, specializing in virology, the study of viruses, for almost 20 years. All organisms, including viruses, use DNA or RNA to transmit genetic information. Transmission may be faithful or not faithful. Accurate transmission, the most common kind, is required for species preservation. However, a small number of errors, or mutations, continuously occur. Organisms have mechanisms to ensure accurate genetic transmission, but no mechanism is perfect. Therefore, infidelity of genetic material is, paradoxically, an axiomatic property of life.

The rate at which mutations occur can be measured. Organisms vary widely in their mutation rates. Humans have relatively low rates, while RNA viruses, such as HIV, have high rates. Despite the ubiquity of mutation, there is a limit to how high mutation rates can be. If the mutation rate is too high, something called “the error catastrophe” occurs because life is no longer possible. Therefore, although mutations are intrinsic to genetic behavior, their limitation is also inherent.

Although scientists elaborate theories such as these about the universe, the truthfulness of their methods is just as important. If scientists are not truthful, then scientific truths cannot be discovered. So fundamental is this to me that untruthfulness itself, for me, is almost like a violation the laws of the universe. A friend once said to me: “the electron doesn’t lie.” He meant that everything in the universe (from electrons to genetic material) behaves exclusively according to its underlying natural properties. The variable fidelity of genetic material is a powerful metaphor for human truthfulness. Just as mutations inevitably occur at a low but measurable rate, deceitfulness by people happens. And just as mutations cause defects, deceitfulness has consequences.

I recently taught at a college where the level of student cheating was extremely high and included the use of clandestine high tech devices. From my point of view, every falsified answer, whether correct or not, was a like mutation in the integrity of the learning process. If these students were an evolving species, they would not survive, since their infidelity was so high it would cause an “error catastrophe.” The cheaters should become extinct. In reality, the consequence of cheating is that these students, sadly, will be unprepared for their future endeavors.

Despite this unpleasant experience, I still believe in science. The human brain has evolved to seek underlying, unifying principles; this inquisitiveness mediates science. The requisite truthfulness of science usually overrides human deceitfulness. I still try to live my life by principles of science and veracity.